The Tested
by TurtleInTreble
Summary: Dean and Sam are investigating a string of missing people, some of whom have been turning up with their organs gone. The boys need to stop the killings, but time is of the essence when Sam disappears. Takes place about a month or two after Sam leaves Stanford.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my first fanfic, so be gentle! Please review and tell me if something is completely out of wack or something like that. I don't know how _how_ often I'll be able to update this, but I'll try to do it frequently.**

0-0-0-0-0

"Sam. Saaam." Dean threw his burger wrapper over at his younger brother who was sleeping in the passenger seat of the Impala.

Sam started and looked around, confused. "Where are we?"

"Mobile, Alabama, remember?" Dean turned down the radio. "People in their late teens to early twenties have been going missing in large numbers. About one every three days."

"And this is our kind of case, whyyy?" Sam groaned, throwing Dean's wrapper back at him.

"Because, most of them reappear about three days later on the side of the road with their chests cut open and most major organs missing. And while the chests were cut open practically surgically, the organs looked like they'd been clawed out by animals." Dean explained, not looking away from the road.

"Most major organs?" Sam asked, wiping a bit of drool off of his chin.

"Yeah. Lungs, stomach, you name it. But they never took the heart. It was always left sitting there, alone."

"So what's the plan?" Sam asked.

"I figure we'll check into a motel, stop by the police station and introduce ourselves, then go talk to the latest victim's family. See where he was last seen, yada yada, details, and I figure we can go it by ear from then on."

"Latest victim?" Sam was still trying to blink the last remains of sleep out of his eyes.

"Uh, yeah." Dean stuck his hand in the backseat and rummaged around for a second. "Here." He tossed a packet of papers into Sam's lap. "I printed these up at the bunker."

"List of victims?" Sam thumbed through the large stack of papers.

"Yeah. I figured it might make it easier to keep track of them. The papers pinned together at the back are the one's that haven't shown back up." Dean explained absently.

"Look at you." Sam chuckled. "All organized. Did you make a new years resolution or something?"

"Hey," Dean grimaced with annoyance. "It is never too late to get your life in order, be that literally or not."

"Whatever." Sam snickered.

0-0-0-0-0

Dean knocked on the door, Sam close behind him. The door slowly eased open and a woman peered around the edge.

"Can I help you?" She asked shakily as she took in the two men's suits.

"Yeah, hi, I'm Agent Burke, this is Agent Adams. We're here investigating the death of your son, Mike Lister. May we come in?"

"Oh." The woman blinked. "Uh, yeah, sure." She stepped back from the door, opening it wider so the boys could come in. They followed her to the living room, where she shakily settled down on the couch. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell us exactly what your son did on the day he went missing." Sam requested with a soft smile.

The woman took a deep breath. "Well, it was his birthday. He'd just turned eighteen, so I said he could go out with some friends. You know...to a bar. He promised he wouldn't drink." She added quickly. "There was this band playing that night that he wanted to go see. He came home that night and went straight up to bed." She sniffled.

"About 3 AM, I heard loud noises from his room. It sounded like a fight, so I went up to see what was wrong. By the time I got there, the room was torn up and Mike was gone." Tears began to fall in streaks down the woman's face. "That was three days ago."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Lister. We're doing everything we can to find your son." Sam rested a hand on the now sobbing woman's shoulder.

Suddenly the phone Dean was using for his Agent alter-ego began to ring. "If you'll excuse me." He stood and went out onto the front porch. "This is Burke."

"Agent Burke, this is the sheriff, I thought I should call you to give you the latest on the case." The sheriff said stiffly.

"What's happened?"

"Some patrols just found another body. The Lister boy. Chest cut up just like the rest of them." The sheriff explained.

"Shit." Dean groaned. "I'm at his mother's house now. Do you need me to tell her?"

"I think that may be best." The sheriff answered quietly.

"Ok. Call me if anything else comes up." Dean sighed, then hung up the phone. He took a deep breath and went back into the house.

"I'm back." Sam looked up at his entrance.

"Can I speak to you in the hall?" Dean asked. Sam looked at Dean oddly for a moment, then nodded and followed his brother with a sympathetic look to Ms. Lister.

"Mrs. Lister gave me the name of the bar Mike went to. I figured we can go there next. We can go get changed first...Hey what's wrong?" Sam rambled before noticing his brother's face.

"They just found Mike's body." Dean said quietly. "He's dead, just like the rest of them."

The light in Sam's eyes died. "Do we need to tell her?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

0-0-0-0-0

A couple of hours later, Dean and Sam were pulling into the parking lot of the bar Mike had spent his last free night in. They had told his mother he was dead, and been met by subsequential sobbing. They had excused themselves not long after and practically fled from the house. They went to the motel and changed out of their suits so they wouldn't be noticed in the bar.

"Really?" Dean asked as he looked up at the dingy neon sign over the brick building. "The Last Stop?"

"That's where she said he went." Sam grimaced.

"How much more 'If you come here you'll probably die' can the name be?" Dean shook his head. "Do you know if any of the other victims were last here?"

"Yeah. I made a couple of calls while you were showering. At least two thirds of the victims had been here in the last five days before they went missing, but that isn't surprising because apparently it's a pretty popular place." Sam said.

"Why?" Dean asked as they entered the bar. "This place is nasty." The bar had a small stage at one end where a band was struggling to play a song. Some people were dancing in front of the stage, and others were either sitting in chairs around small tables with little amounts of food, and others were slumped over at the bar. There were lots of other people just milling around talking, making it hard to hear.

A girl who looked about twenty appeared in front of them. "Can I help you?" She had on a button down that was only buttoned for the lower half and a skirt so short that it could be called a belt. She was about 5'9", but four of those inches were from her shoes. Her nametag read Angie.

"Yes." Dean said with a devilish grin. "You most certainly can."

Angie looked him up and down, then turned to Sam. "Just sit at any of the tables that are empty, some one will be along to serve you soon. Try to keep your friend in his pants." Sam blushed and nodded. Angie disappeared into the crowd.

"Come on, Dean." Sam pushed his way through a group of people, muttering apologies as he bumped into them. He saw a table and began to make his way to it, but he accidentally bumped into a man in a suit.

"Sorry," he said, trying to keep moving.

The man grabbed his arm and smiled. There was a girl standing beside him that Sam's eyes were drawn to. She was wearing a low cut long sleeve shirt and extremely short shorts. Like every other girl there, she had on impossibly high heels. Sam met her soft green eyes just before her light brown hair fell over them.

"Is there a problem here?" Dean asked, entering the occurrence.

"No." The man drawled. "No problem, sir." He let go off Sam, then disappeared, pulling the girl with him. Sam watched them disappear.

"Sam." Dean put a hand on his shoulder. "Keep moving."

Sam's eyes snapped to Dean's face, and then nodded. "Yeah, Ok."

0-0-0-0-0

Nothing happened at the bar. Sam and Dean stayed till long after midnight and watched the crowd of people thinning, but nothing happened.

"You wanna head back to the motel?" Dean asked Sam.

Sam sighed. "Yeah, I guess so." He stood. "Are you coming?"

Dean smiled deviously. "Nah, I think I want to see if that Angie's shift is over soon."

Sam shook his head at his brother, then made his way to the front of the bar. He pushed through the door into the cool night air. The Impala was waiting in the back corner of the parking lot under a dim street light. Before he got five steps away from the bar however, a hand grabbed him and pulled him to the side of the wall in the dark.

He prepared to fight, but to his surprise it was just the girl who'd been with the man from before. She looked young, her hair tumbling all around her face.

"What do you want?" Sam asked slightly roughly, pulling out of her grasp.

"You need to run." The girl said anxiously with wide eyes darting around.

"What?" Sam looked confused.

"Go. Get out of town. Now." She gave him a slight shove to the car. "Get in your car and don't look back. Go."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, but then the girl had pulled out of his grasp and was gone.

Sam contemplated going in to Dean, but he changed his mind when he yawned.

_I'll tell him in the morning._ Sam decided. _Don't wanna ruin his fun with Angie._

Sam resumed his trek to the Impala, and after unlocking it, slid into the drivers seat. He started the car and began driving back to the motel.

0-0-0-0-0

When Sam got to the motel, he quickly entered the room, unable to shake the feeling of being watched. However, once the door was locked and he was lying down, he immediately forgot about it and fell asleep.

0-0-0-0-0

Sam woke up about three am to the door creaking open. "That was quick." He snorted sleepily, rolling away from the door. But there were no footsteps or the witty remark Sam was used to coming from Dean.

"Dean, are you OK?" Sam asked, rolling back over. Before his sleep addled brain could realize that it was not Dean's silhouette in the doorway, the figure was striding quickly across the floor and hitting Sam in the head with the long metal rod it clutched in its fingers.

Sam cried out once and tried to get up, but once the pole hit his head, he slumped back on the bed, unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean waved with a smile as Angie pulled away in her old convertible. Since Sam had taken the Impala the night before, he'd needed a ride to the motel after spending the night at her place and eating breakfast there.

Once she was gone, Dean pulled his room key out of his pocket and unlocked his and Sam's room, whistling. He flicked the light on and relocked the door before realizing that the room was empty. His whistling stopped, and he furrowed his brow.

_Maybe he just went to go get breakfast. _Dean thought worriedly. But a glance through the curtains to the parking lot showed that the Impala was still there, parked in the back corner.

Dean thought back, but couldn't remember there being any diners within at least two miles of the motel.

He looked over at the bed farthest from the door, the one Sam had claimed, and saw that it had been slept in. "Ok..." Dean muttered to himself. "So he's been here."

Dean went closer to the bed to inspect the bed, in case there were any clues to his brother's whereabouts. Dean sucked in his breath when he saw a smattering of blood splattered on the otherwise white sheets. _"Crap."_ Dean hissed, grabbing his phone from his pocket.

He dialed Sam's number, but predictably, only got the answering machine.

0-0-0-0-0

Sam groaned as he regained consciousness. He glanced around briefly, only seeing a bare room with gray walls and a concrete floor with a single door across from him. He put a shaky hand to his head and felt at the bloody lump where he'd been hit with the metal pole.

"Hey, you need to not touch that." Sam looked up, startled and for the first time realized that he wasn't alone in the room. A girl with light brown hair and intent green eyes was watching him from the corner.

"You're...you're the girl from last night." Sam blinked as he pulled himself to a sitting position against the wall.

"Yeah." The girl pushed her long hair over her shoulder and grimaced. "Do you need me to get something for your head?"

"Uh, no." Sam watched her carefully. Her clubbing clothes from the night before were replaced with soft, worn looking jeans and a tank top with an open button down thrown over it. "What's going on?"

"Well..." The girl looked uncomfortable suddenly. "You know about the disappearances, right?"

Sam nodded slowly, relieved that the ache in his head was slowly dying down.

"Ok, so I don't know how much they want me to tell you, but I can at least tell you why you're here." The girl bit her lip and Sam waved her on. "Ok, so Manson, that's the guy you saw me with last night, goes out when we need a new...uh...person..." the girl said carefully, "and picks someone. Usually someone attractive, strong, reliable or whatever. Which is why he picked you."

"Why were you there?" Sam asked as the girl sat down across from him.

"He always brings one of us with him. Depending on whether he wants a boy or a girl that night. You know. As bait." The girl explained. "Then, when he picks who he wants, he waits. Follows them home, then nabs then when they're alone."

"Oh." Sam thought for a moment.

"You know..." The girl squinted at Sam. "You seem to be taking this really well. You've just been kidnapped by people associated with brutal murders, you have a concussion, and you just seem...fine. Are you in shock or something?"

Sam laughed humorlessly. "No, I guess I'm just used to stuff like this, you know?"

The girl smiled nervously. "Uh, no, no I don't. I'm Mia, by the way."

"Ria." Sam frowned as something nagged at his memory. Suddenly it hit him. "You aren't Mia Fallsens, are you? The Mia Fallsens who went missing a couple of weeks ago?"

"Yeah." Mia frowned. "How do you know that?"

Sam opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupting by the door swinging open. The man from the night before, Manson, stood there with a pleased grin on his face.

"Oh, I just _know_ that you're going to be one of the survivors." Manson said with dangerous glee.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Sam growled, slowly getting to his feet.

Manson smiled. "I'm giving you the chance of a lifetime." Sam frowned. "The opportunity to be young forever, to have power, money, whatever you want."

"Oh really?" Sam snorted. "And what's in it for you?"

Manson smiled cruelly. "You'll belong to me."

"Like hell I will." Sam snarled.

"Oh, you don't understand, Sam, you _already do_." Manson smiled breezily albeit harshly.

Sam scowled at him and remarked, "Ok, so if I _belong_ to you, then what's keeping me from killing you where you stand?"

Manson sighed like he was asked that question all of the time. He pulled a pistol out of the back of his waistband and pointed it smoothly at Sam's forehead. "Because if you try," He moved the pistol so it was pointed at Mia's forehead. "I shoot her."

Sam froze, but Mia only looked sadly at the floor like she knew it was coming.

"Put the gun down." Sam said earnestly.

"Only if you swear not to cause any trouble." Manson said with a smile. "Or, for that matter, try to attack me or one of the other guards or escape. That includes just planning quietly."

Sam didn't say anything for a moment; he just bit his lip as his eyes darted from Mia to Manson.

"Better hurry up, boy." Manson said. Manson carefully cocked the gun and fingered the trigger.

"Ok fine!" Sam blurted out. "Ok, I swear I won't do or try anything."

"Good." Manson smiled patiently. "Just so you know, if you do try anything, not matter how small, could result in a bullet in her head."

Mia took a deep breath and looked up from the floor to Sam.

"I understand." Sam dropped his eyes. Then something occurred to him. "You said I have an opportunity for everything I could ever want."

Manson nodded. "I did."

"Only an opportunity?"

Manson laughed. "I was wondering when you'd realize that."

"What if I say no?" Sam asked carefully. "You shoot her?"

Manson thought about it. "It isn't really something you could say 'no' to. It's simply you get what I've promised if you survive the next three days, like all of the others who are still alive have."

Sam froze, and watched Mia with big eyes. _What would Dean do?_ Sam thought desperately. _He'd want me to stay alive till he gets here. _"Ok," Sam huffed. "How exactly do I survive?"

Manson smiled. "By doing just that."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Sam, may I call you Sam?" Manson asked.

"No."

"Sam, I take it upon myself to make sure that I have only the best, the strongest, the smartest under my services. So I arrange a series of tests for you to go through and then survive." Manson explained, leaning against the wall.

"What kind of tests?"

Manson's smile widened. "The kind that are trying to kill you."

0-0-0-0-0

Dean sat on his bed, waiting until he heard a car pull up outside. Just as with every other car he heard, he jumped to his feet and ran to the window. This time, however, he saw Bobby's truck parking in front of the room.

Dean threw the door open and ran over as Bobby got out of the truck.

"Bobby!"

"Ok, Dean, tell me what's going on." Bobby said gruffly as Dean led him back to the room. "What happened last night?"

"Well, Sam and I went to go check out the bar where the latest vic last was, but nothing happened, so Sam came back here and I went home with the...ah...waitress." Dean explained, running his hands through his hair.

"Did anything happen at the bar?" Bobby asked.

"No. No...no wait. There was this guy. He was with this girl...and he bumped into Sam. It happened pretty fast, and I didn't get a good look at him, but he was holding Sam's arm. Then I showed up and he and the girl disappeared." Dean bit his lip. "You don't think that has something to do with this, do you?"

Bobby scoffed. "I think it makes more sense than anything else."

"So what do we do?"

"I say we go back to the bar. Ask around, see if anyone knew either of them. Then we go from there." Bobby sighed.

"Ok." Dean nodded slowly. "Let's go." He got to his feet and made a move toward the door.

"Wait, Dean." Bobby grabbed Dean's sleeve. "The people on shift now probably have never seen this guy before."

"Bobby..." Dean growled. "If you're saying we just wait around to go ask people if they've seen my little brother's kidnapper then-"

"Dean, all I'm saying is that there are other places it would be better to ask." Bobby explained.

"Like where?" Dean pulled his arm away from Bobby and crossed it across from his chest.

"Do you still have that waitress's number?"


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry, I know it's been almost a week, and this is kinda a short one, but I'm trying to get these done and decided I liked where this one ended so I left it at that.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Supernatural characters or anything from the show. This is not for profit or anything, I just find it fun. If anything is familiar, it's probably from the show and I don't own it. If it is familiar and you think it is not from the show, congratulations, you may be psychic.**

* * *

Sam stared at Manson expectantly. "What does that mean, exactly?"

Manson just laughed. "It means exactly what it says, boy. I think I'll let Mia explain further." He turned to her. "You two can wander and you can show him the ropes. Report to the arena at midday for the first test." Manson nodded at Mia, then turned and left the room, leaving the door open behind him.

"You wanna explain what the hell he's talking about?" Sam asked expectantly once he was sure Manson was gone.

Mia sighed. "Let's take a walk." Without warning, she then walked out of the room.

Sam waited for a moment, then ran after her. She hadn't gotten far, so it didn't take long to catch up. "Explain these tests."

Mia nodded. "Yeah, Ok. Basically they aren't tests so much as...well...I guess you could call it a tournament. Only you're the only one entered. There are three matches-fights-a day, and you participate in each one till you either survive all nine in the three days or you lose."

"Who am I up against?" Sam asked carefully.

"Well..." Mia bit her lip. "You're gonna think I'm crazy but..."

"Trust me," Sam snorted, "I won't think you're crazy. I've probably seen much worse."

"The opponents you're against are supernatural creatures." Mia said hurriedly. "I know, I know, it's crazy, but I'm serious. Vampires, werewolves, and what have you." She watched Sam's reaction out of the corner of her eye, but he didn't even seem fazed. "You're taking this pretty well."

"Yeah, I ah, have had run-ins with the supernatural in the past." Sam chuckled to himself.

"Well then you may have a leg up." Mia said sadly. "You have to kill each creature they pit you against. Using whatever tool they give you."

"What happens if I lose?" Sam asked. "They kill me?"

Mia looked uncomfortable. "Yeah. But it can't be a body shot. They have to either crush your skull or break your neck. All organs are to be left in tact. I'm still not entirely sure why..." Mia trailed off and began looking off down the hall as she and Sam walked.

Sam finally took the time to look around. They were in an old looking hallway, in what looked like an old hospital. "So my first match is at noon?" he asked softly.

Mia nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh." Sam looked down at his wrist, only to see that his watch was gone. "What time is it?"

"Just after eleven. So we have time to get some food, then get you down to the arena." Mia said, picking up the pace as she approached a door. "Come on. In here to the food."

0-0-0-0-0

Dean and Bobby were driving as fast as they could to Angie's apartment. She had agreed to meet with them, but couldn't understand what was so urgent.

When they got there Angie was standing on the curb outside waiting. She had on a loose sweater wrapped protectively around herself and leggings. Dean parked and swung out of the driver's seat as soon as the keys were out of the ignition.

Angie's face brightened confidently when she saw Dean.

"Hi, Dean." She said with a grin. The grin faltered slightly when she saw Bobby get out of the passenger, but she regained it quickly. "What brings you back so soon?"

Dean began to speak, but Bobby interrupted him. "We're looking for a guy."

Angie snorted. "You're going to need to be a little more specific than that, old timer."

Bobby scowled, and Dean took over. "He would have been at The Last Stop frequently. At least once every three days." Angie didn't look like any bells were ringing. "Possibly wearing a suit?" Dean added.

Suddenly a light of recognition lit in Angie's eyes. "Yeah, you know what, there is this guy." Upon seeing Dean's look of urgency, she continued on. "He comes in at least three or four times a week. Always wearing a suit, and always with someone else."

"Someone else?" Bobby questioned, confused.

"Yeah..." Angie thought. "Never the same person in a row, always someone young, attractive."

"Did any of them look like these people?" Dean held out the stack of missing people's pictures.

Angie riffled through the stack and bit her lip. "Uh, no...no...no...this one." Angie held out a picture of a girl. "This is the girl he was with last night."

"Mia Fallsens?" Dean read the name on the top of the paper. He turned to Bobby. "She was the first one whose body was never found. She went missing almost two months ago."

"Oh God." Angie went pale. "She was one of the missing people and I didn't...no one...I could have...I didn't know..."

"It's ok, Angie." Dean put a hand on her shoulder. "What else can you tell me about the man?" Angie looked upset and shaken, but Dean needed information. "Please, Angie, it's important. My brother's gone missing, and I need to know."

Angie began visibly shaking, and bit her lip. "Uh, I think I've heard him be called Manson? He always is a pretty big spender at the bar, but only pays in cash." Dean waved her on. "I think he's about your height, but more muscular, you know? Looks like he spends most of his time in a gym, but the suits always still fit perfectly. Looks about...forty five?"

"Ok..." Dean nodded slowly. "Thank you. I'll contact you if I need anything else."

"Please do." Angie nodded forcefully.

"Bye." Dean nodded briskly then sharply turned and got back in the Impala. "Bobby, let's go!"

"Thank you for your time." Bobby smiled slightly, then hurriedly got in the car.

0-0-0-0-0

Just before noon Mia led Sam to a small room. Other than the door leading out into the hall, there was only one way out of the room. It was simply a doorway into a larger room, but the room beyond was dark and there was a pathway surrounded by metal bars leading straight through it to another doorway that led into a bright room. Sam couldn't quite make out what it was out there, but he had a feeling he didn't want to know because there were metal bars covering it.

"What happens now?" Sam asked quietly.

Mia looked uncomfortable. "You wait till they call you. Then you go down that hall and they lift the gate and you go into the arena. They send out the first...um...thing for you to go up against. You have to try to kill it with whatever they have lying around. Then...you just...fight."

Sam looked out at the arena just as a loud, electronic bell rang through the room. Mia flinched, and the gate leading to the arena slid up with a groan.

"Do I...do I go?" Sam asked softly.

"Yeah." Mia nodded. Sam began to move towards the passageway. "Uh, Sam?"

Sam turned to face her. "Yeah?"

Mia looked at the floor. "Good luck."

Sam hesitated, then nodded briskly and turned back toward the arena. He went down the short passage, then through the doorway into the arena.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry it's been so long since the last post! I swear I will try to update it more! Reviews are fantastic and thanks to everyone who has read or followed. :)**

* * *

The arena was really just a large, open warehouse. There was caging around a twenty by twenty space, and a ring of benches around it. Someone slid a grate over the entrance Sam had entered via, and Sam watched the people on the benches. They were sparsely filled, and Sam saw Mia take one of the seats carefully. He was about to wave, but a low growl behind him made him spin.

A large wolf was standing behind grating to a similar entrance to Sam's. "Werewolf." Sam whispered quietly to himself. He glanced frantically around the room, hoping to find some silver. He quickly spotted a large silver shard of metal in the corner and dove for it just as the grating was raised and the werewolf was released into the arena.

It tackled Sam as he was feet from the piece of silver and scratched at his shoulder. Sam yelled as four long scratches opened, but he hit out at the wolf, causing it to momentarily retreat. Sam took the moment to grab for the shard of metal, and when the wolf leapt at him again, he sunk it deep in the wolf's chest.

The wolf sunk to the ground as Sam held at his shoulder. The few people on the benches began clapping softly as the wolf turned to a naked boy, no older than seventeen. The whole fight hadn't lasted more than two minutes.

Suddenly a gate into the audience opened and Manson came through, followed closely by Mia.

"I knew you were a good choice." Manson grinned broadly, and slapped Sam right above his hurt shoulder. Sam cried out softly, and Mia pushed Manson out of the way.

"Asshole! Can't you see he's hurt?" Mia reached out for Sam, but not before Manson grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. He slapped her sharply across the cheek before pulling her closer. He whispered something Sam couldn't hear, then released her.

"Come on, Sam." Mia said quietly. "I'll take you to the med bay."

"Be done in four hours. That's when the next match is." Manson said sternly.

"Yes sir." Mia whispered. She took Sam's hand of the uninjured arm in her own and softly tugged at him.

Sam let himself be led out of the arena as Manson stared at him like he was a prime slab of meat in the butcher shop.

0-0-0-0-0

Dean was close to snapping as he and Bobby went over the town's real estate records one more time.

"Bobby, there is no 'Manson' in here at all, much anywhere with a lot of land. For all we know, he doesn't even live in this state." Dean exclaimed, pushing away from the table.

"Dean, calm down!" Bobby ordered sharply. "You aren't going to help Sam if you shoot the damn maps."

"Bobby...I can't..." Dean moaned as he sank down on one of the beds in the motel room he had been sharing with Sam, now Bobby.

"Boy, you listen to me..." Bobby trailed off as something caught his attention.

"Bobby?" Dean looked up. "What is it?"

"I may have found something. Come here." Dean jumped up and came over to the map Bobby was looking at.

"What?"

"All of this..." Bobby waved his hand over almost a square mile in the industrial district, "is abandoned. It is also all owned privately."

"So?" Dean asked. "It's not unusual for people to keep their land when their company goes bankrupt."

"Ah but this was all bought just over two months ago. There are about sixteen buildings, and each is owned by a different man. But..." Bobby ruffled through some papers. "Each building was sold within three days."

Dean frowned and studied the papers. "Where is this?"

"From what I can tell, just on the outskirts of town." Bobby scratched his chin absently.

"Let's go."

0-0-0-0-0

Sam winced as Mia poked the needle through his skin for the last time. "There. All done." Mia tied off the thread and snipped it. "Only needed a few stitches, and even those were just to be safe. You got off easy this time."

"Thanks." Sam frowned at the now clean scrapes on his shoulder.

"Don't thank me yet." Mia chuckled. She grabbed a bottle of clear liquid from the table and a short plastic rod.

"What's-" Sam was cut off as Mia shoved the rod in his mouth.

"You may want to bite down." Mia suggested before uncorking the bottle and pouring the liquid over the werewolf scratch.

Sam cried out while biting down on the rod, resulting in a strained noise. Mia re-corked the alcohol and took the rod out of Sam's mouth.

"Now you can thank me." Mia smirked.

Sam grimaced and shot her a glare. Mia just laughed. "I had to clean it. Those werewolves aren't exactly known for hygiene, you know?"

Sam chuckled, but then looked at Mia carefully.

"Mia?"

"Hmm?" Mia began to clean up the medical supplies.

"What did Manson say to you as we were leaving?"

Mia froze, and her shoulders slumped. She began repacking the medical supplies.

"I'm sorry if I over stepped my bounds..." Sam amended quickly.

"No...no..." Mia sighed. "You should probably know." She finished putting everything in the cabinets. "He reminded me of what happened the last time I spoke back to him." Sam opened to ask what happened, but she beat him to it. "His name was Mike. I think his last name was Lists or something like that."

"Lister..." Sam whispered.

"He'd taken a nasty blow to the head the match before his last, so I told Manson that he shouldn't be forced to fight the last fight. That he should just...wait on it, you know?" Mia turned back to Sam and leaned on the counter behind her, her eyes tearing up. "I started fighting with him about it, and it ended with me hitting him. He was so angry." Mia held a hand to her face.

"I didn't know what he was going to do." Mia cried softly, beginning to sob. "I didn't think about it."

"What did he do?" Sam asked quietly.

"Right before Mike went out for his last match, Manson gave him a shot. I didn't know what it was." Mia was having trouble talking through her sobs. "When Mike got out there though, it was clear. It was some drug. Made it impossible for him to fight. The wendigo...I think...snapped his neck. He didn't have a chance and it was my fault." Mia began to slide, but Sam jumped up and grabbed her. "He could have lived, but he didn't because of me. I killed him." Mia sobbed.

"No...no..." Sam soothed, stroking Mia's back. "It wasn't your fault. You were trying to protect him, he knew that."

"I'm becoming one of them!" Mia sobbed.

"No...no...never..."

"Sam, one of the vamps, he didn't want to fight, he begged me-_begged me _-not to kill him, but it was my last fight, I was so close, I didn't even think, I just beheaded him without a word." Mia cried.

"You did what you had to to survive." Sam whispered quietly.

"Sam..." Mia pulled out of his grasp. "You don't understand." She wiped the tears off of her face and watched him intently.

"What?"

"No matter how hard you try, unless you die here, you will wind up a monster, just like them."

0-0-0-0-0

Dean whistled, slightly impressed. He and Bobby were on the roof of one of the buildings next to the sixteen that they were investigating. They were arranged in an almost grid pattern, four by four. The twelve on the outskirts were the tallest, and made it hard for Dean and Bobby to see through to the inner four.

But from their perspective, they could see what they were up against. Most of the roads between the buildings were covered in so much junk and old abandoned cars that you almost couldn't notice that they were hiding a ten-foot cement wall with a deep trench in front of it between each building at the back unless you were looking for it.

The buildings outside all had boarded up windows and locked and blocked doors. The only way into the compound was through a single road that while mostly blocked, had a space just large enough for a truck to fit through in the wall. After watching it for almost two hours, they had seen multiple cars come out, and a couple go in. But every time a car had to go in, they would stop before entering the gate and two people in dark clothes came from the corners of the wall and spoke to the driver.

Sometimes the driver was let through, others, the car was sent away.

"Shit." Bobby whispered softly through his teeth. "Well, I think we can confirm Sam is in there..."

Dean growled softly, and scowled at the only entrance to getting


End file.
